Get ready for burgers with pimento cheese spread
If pimento cheese is already part of your life, then you are blessed for sure. If not, get ready for life to get a little bit better. And get ready for one of the best burgers of your life.
It’s dangerous ground for a Yankee like me to start messing around with a Southern recipe like pimento cheese. This may well not be how you (or your mom or grandma) make it. But I’ve done a bit of research now, and a bit of testing, and I humbly submit this version for your consideration.
Don’t use pre-grated cheese for this – freshly grated cheese tastes better and makes the mixture adhere together better. Talented Southern chef Griff Day shared his secret ingredient with me: He uses a splash of bourbon in his pimento cheese, and that little trick really seems to add some depth and extra flavor to my version as well. If you don’t have smoked paprika on hand, you can sub in regular paprika, or just skip it.
Make this at least one day ahead to allow the flavors to meld. Serve leftovers (there will be leftovers, and you will not be sorry about that) with crackers.
Hey, by the way – I would still like to hear how you or your mom or dad or Aunt Matilda makes pimento cheese. Seriously – I have yet to meet a version of this dish that I don’t love!
Katie Workman blogs at http:// www.themom100.com/about-katieworkman. Katie@themom100.com. 3 ounces cream cheese, softened 1 teaspoon bourbon Large pinch cayenne pepper Kosher salt to taste
Burgers
1 teaspoon Kosher salt, or to taste Sliced tomatoes, onions and lettuce to serve (optional)
cup mayonnaise 2 tablespoons minced red onion 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce teaspoon Sriracha or other hot sauce, or to taste teaspoon smoked paprika pound grated sharp cheddar cheese 7-ounce jar pimentos, drained and minced 1 pounds ground chuck (about 80/20) teaspoon freshly ground pepper, or to taste 6 hamburger buns, to serve, toasted if desired
Worcestershire sauce, bourbon, Sriracha, smoked paprika and cayenne. Stir in the cheddar cheese and pimentos, season with salt to taste, and add more hot sauce if desired. Pack into
In a mixing bowl, combine the mayonnaise, cream cheese, onion,
Place each burger on the bottom of a bun, top the burger with a generous spoonful (about a heaping tablespoon) of pimento cheese, and let everyone top with the tomatoes, onions and lettuce as they please. Nutrition information per serving: 535 calories; 331 calories from fat; 37 g fat (14 g saturated; 1 g trans fats); 102 mg cholesterol; 742 mg sodium; 24 g carbohydrate; 1 g fiber; 4 g sugar; 26 g protein.